PalmKer: Restoring and promoting the palm grove of Kerkennah

Although an extraordinary biodiversity ecosystem in the Mediterranean, the Kerkennah Islands are also very vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which can be seen in the rapid retreat of the coastline and continuing expansion of saline soil.

Despite its role in mitigating the impacts of desertification, the date palm is now being overtaken by other fruit species such as vine, fig or olive, which are less suitable for the archipelago’s climate. The lack of palm tree improvement and selection programmes, the loss of the date palm within the Kerkennah family, the growing scarcity of specialized labour and poor practices are other reasons for the grove’s decline. The trend is being felt not only in soil desertification but also in marine pollution, with the palm tree fibre used for traditional fishing nets being replaced with plastic.

In response to this challenge, ATUTAX aims to unite the local Kerkennah population, particularly women and young people, behind its project to protect, manage sustainably and restore Kerkennah palm grove, mitigating the effects of climate change on the archipelago whilst providing a source of income.

Project budget: €10,526.32

Budget grant TransCap: €10,000

Contact: association.atutax@gmail.com

This project is being implemented and financed as part of the TransCap programme coordinated by the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (IUCN-Med) and financed by the General Directorate of Cooperation of the Balearic Islands. The TransCap programme aims to consolidate the role of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) amidst the current challenges posed by environmental conservation and sustainable development in Morocco’s and Tunisia’s Mediterranean communities.